Icarus, Flying
by OpalescentStorm
Summary: Hinata's not the sun, and Lee's not Icarus, so it all works out somehow. LeeHina giftfic for someone on DeviantArt.


_It's ironic that her name is Hinata, he realizes. 'Toward the sun.' She herself seems like the sun in the sky, an unreachable, unattainable dream. And he's worried that his story, like Icarus's, will end in trauma and tragedy if he dares to reach too high, tries to overcome his limits and boundaries to reach the sun._

_Lee is no stranger to reaching higher than he should, to striving more than one would deem healthy. However, Hinata seems higher than even his highest dreams before. Attaining her seems, to him, more difficult a task than overcoming two crushed limbs; it seems more difficult than becoming a ninja despite the ability to mold chakra._

_She's the heiress to the most powerful clan in Konoha, the most beautiful kunoichi in all of Konoha (his humble opinion, of course), and she's in love. No, not with Lee. She's in love with a boy too busy chasing the Godaime's protégée to cast an errant glance in her direction._

"What happened to Hinata-sama?" Neji demands, his voice cutting across the air to strike Lee; an unintentional slap to the face. None of them know, of course, but the girl is sprawled on the ground, bleeding in the wreckage left by Naruto and Pein, and they all have the sense not to sit and ponder that question, but rather to help save her life.

So Lee watches as the girl he used to love (what a silly, childish mistake on his part) saves the life of the girl who has taken up permanent residence in his heart. He cannot bear to watch it go on, to stare on as Hinata hovers somewhere between life and death. Yet his face must remain carefully composed. He's not ready for his teammates to learn about the love that he's successfully hidden from them for a few years now, so he doesn't show more than polite concern, like he only cares for Neji's sake. What a twisted, silly lie.

He's done all he can, helping deliver her to Sakura, and now all he can do is watch, wait, and attempt not to fidget too much. The suspense is killing him, but he knows everyone will pass it off on his eagerness to get back and help with the real battle in Konoha. Instead, it's the pain at the sight of Hinata's prone figure that spurns him to agree when Gai poses the opportunity to follow Naruto. When this suggestion is turned down, though, Lee finds himself unable to tear his eyes away from the half-alive girl. He doesn't want to watch, but he can't look away.

_She's not the sun. For all that she burns brightly, shining for all to see, she doesn't have it's cruel light. There's no way he'll die to look upon her, and his eyes won't go blind from looking directly at her, though he knows if he stares at an eclipse without any shield to his delicate eyes, he will lose his vision. _

_She's not untouchable like the sun. His wings, fragile as they are, won't just melt away if he comes too close to her, and although his skin tingles pleasantly and his nerves fizz if he touches he, she doesn't scald his skin through to the bone, like the sun would. Instead of burning and blistering with harsh words and unbearable heat, she dances in cool water and uses gentle hands to softly wreak their havoc. _

_He's not Icarus. For all his ambition and wishes to always become greater, he isn't foolishly power hungry. He doesn't go foolishly after things only for the thrill, for the adrenaline rush dancing through his veins. If he wants something, it is always for reasons far purer than power or enjoyment or short-lived happiness._

_He's not mindless like Icarus is. Although sometimes she seems to be an unreachable dream, no closer or more easily held than the sun in the sky, he knows she's not. He never goes after something truly unattainable, never flying on the wings of fancy. And when he builds his wings, they're made of something far sturdier than plain feathers affixed by wax._

"Lee? It was you bringing the flowers all along?" Her soft voice brings him out of his reverie and brings his attention to her. Although her sudden appearance startled him slightly, she's the one looking like she's suffering from shock. Large, almost white eyes are affixed on the large bouquet in his hands, and a small, truly happy smile is playing about her lips.

"Ah! Forgive me Hinata, I did not notice you arrived," he says, sheepishly ruffling his signature bowl cut. Some ninja he is, he thinks wryly. "Yes, it was me. I figured you might need something to brighten your hospital room. Once, a long time ago, flowers in my hospital room brightened my day and gave me courage and happiness for the next day. I figured perhaps that I could extend the same favor to you." He gently hands her the bouquet he is currently carrying. "Although you are clearly out of the hospital, I wanted to bring another bouquet." He pauses for a moment. "Would you care to take a walk with me, if you are able?"

Hinata smiles, her grin brighter than the sun as she takes the flowers (mostly soft-pink lotuses, along with a couple of white lilies and a few light purple orchids) from him. "I'd love to go on a walk with you, and the medics said that I should be physically capable of most daily tasks, all except for training for a while. Let me take these inside, and I'll be out with you in a moment." She re-enters the house, with him still on her doorstep. Of course he'll wait for her. He always has.

_She's not the burning light to everyday, but she's his light. He's not a foolishly impulsive boy, but he will strive to reach his goals. She's not the sun. He's not Icarus. So she doesn't burn him, leaving him to tumble into the chaotic seas before. Instead she takes him into her arms. Theirs is not a story to go down throughout they years, but they're happy. And isn't that all that matters?_


End file.
